a certain
idiom
1
—used to refer to a quality that is noticed but that is difficult to explain or describe
She has a certain elegance about her.
The house has a certain charm.
2
formal
—used with the name of a person one does not know
In 1889, a certain Mr. Kelly made a large donation to the church.
Examples of a certain in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
That creates a certain level of incongruity on those campuses.
—
Dana Taylor, USA Today, 11 Nov. 2025
And at a certain point, Clarke says, the only thing that fit him were track suits.
—Tony Maglio, HollywoodReporter, 11 Nov. 2025
Under the current approach, CalPERS allocates a certain amount of money to each bucket and managers of those assets try to maximize returns.
—William Melhado, Sacbee.com, 11 Nov. 2025
Just in case Mike Tomlin, a certain Pittsburgh Hall of Famer, wants to become a legend in New York.
—Ian O'Connor, New York Times, 11 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for a certain
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Dana Taylor, USA Today, 11 Nov. 2025
And at a certain point, Clarke says, the only thing that fit him were track suits.
—Tony Maglio, HollywoodReporter, 11 Nov. 2025
Under the current approach, CalPERS allocates a certain amount of money to each bucket and managers of those assets try to maximize returns.
—William Melhado, Sacbee.com, 11 Nov. 2025
Just in case Mike Tomlin, a certain Pittsburgh Hall of Famer, wants to become a legend in New York.
—Ian O'Connor, New York Times, 11 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for a certain
Cite this Entry
“A certain.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/a%20certain. Accessed 17 Nov. 2025.
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